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MWW 22 – Turbine One Frontline Perception System

Thursday, November 10th, 2022

Turbine One’s tagline is “AI/ML for the Comms-Contested Battlefield” and after learning about what they are doing, that sums it up quite nicely. For those of you unfamiliar with the terms, AI/ML means Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Those both sound like ominous futuristic concepts but Turbine One’s Frontline Perception System (FPS) makes it not only real, but user friendly.

Unlike current systems fielded with vendor-locked software which cannot move between sensors or devices, FPS combines open system architecture across any network, even in in comms-contested environments, and sensor data fusion.

FPS can be deployed on entire enterprise, desktops, laptops and End User Devices whether connected to a network or not. In fact, it’s optimized for use at the operator level.

It deploys algorithms at the tactical edge to characterize sensor data and provide relevant information to the user. The user can also interact with the system, introducing new items of interest without having to code using their AutoML.

Here you can see an example of the AI identifying a gun. Just prior to taking this photo the system was programmed using AutoML to characterize the pistol after identifying it in several images. It was just that simple.

Finally, TurbineOne routinely partners with third parties to deliver ML to the frontlines.

www.turbineone.com

Posted in AI / ML, Disruptive Tech, GSOF, Tradeshow | Comments Off on MWW 22 – Turbine One Frontline Perception System

Crye Associates Scorpion Concept Paper

Tuesday, November 8th, 2022

Found on the US Patent and Trademark Office website, these are the only two pages publicly available from a concept paper produced by Crye Associates, a revolutionary industrial design firm now known as Crye Precision and the creator of some of the most innovative individual clothing and equipment on the market.

Published in March 2001, this concept would eventually be funded by Natick Soldier Systems Center under the Objective Force Warrior program.

Apparently, based on other IP filings we know that before MultiCam Crye Associates had a pattern named UniPat, as in Universal Pattern, which may have been an earlier version of MultiCam. The name UniPat is from 2002 and may offer a clue as to where the Army came up with the Universal Camouflage Pattern name or why Crye quickly abandoned it.

Posted in Advertiser, Disruptive Tech | 7 Comments »

Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) Prototype an Opportunity to Propel Manufacturing to Hypersonic Systems

Sunday, October 30th, 2022

The Department of Defense (DoD) is requesting prototype solutions for its Growing Additive Manufacturing Maturity for Airbreathing Hypersonics (GAMMA-H) challenge as part of the Department’s ongoing efforts to expand current manufacturing processes to intricate hypersonic weapons parts.

Currently, traditional manufacturing processes are unable to meet the intricate geometric specifications that advanced hypersonics require. GAMMA-H will contribute towards advancing additive manufacturing processes that can meet the propulsion and temperature requirements that modern hypersonic airbreathing systems demand. “We need to be pushing the envelope with materials produced using the additive manufacturing process” stated Keith DeVries, Deputy Director of the OSD Manufacturing Technology Program (ManTech). “The science has proven it’s possible, but the practice is not widespread enough. GAMMA-H will encourage further adoptions of this groundbreaking technology,” he said.

The objective of GAMMA-H is not only to decrease the number of individual parts that need inspection, shipment, and construction through additive manufacturing, but also to give small businesses and non-traditional defense contractors opportunities to engage in defense manufacturing. “GAMMA-H solutions will bring significant improvements to how we apply additive manufacturing to airbreathing hypersonics. This will only be achieved through the partnership of large companies, small businesses, and academia,” noted DeVries. He added, “We are very interested in expanding our roster of partners — of all sizes — that are contributing to the hypersonic mission.”

The GAMMA-H Request For Solutions (RFS) was released in October 2022, National Manufacturing Month. Supported by the Fabricators and Manufacturers’ Association (FMA) along with the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), Manufacturing Month is a national effort to promote manufacturing practices and processes, as well as to highlight efforts across the nation to train the workforce needed to support domestic manufacturing.

“National Manufacturing Month gives a voice to the national manufacturing base and encourages the small and medium manufacturing base to engage in all advanced manufacturing practices,” stated DeVries. “By tapping into the innovations of our advanced manufacturing base, the DoD will be better positioned to solve the hypersonics airbreathing maturation challenge.”

The GAMMA-H prototype opportunity is scheduled to be released through an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) vehicle from the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) with joint support from OSD Manufacturing Technology Program (ManTech) office.

About S2MARTS

Managed by the National Security Technology Accelerator (NSTXL), the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S²MARTS) is the premier rapid OT contracting vehicle for the Department of Defense (DoD) in trusted microelectronics, strategic & spectrum mission, and other critical mission areas.

Learn more about S²MARTS and explore open opportunities at s2marts.org. To be notified when new S²MARTS opportunities are posted, subscribe to NSTXL and they will be sent to your inbox, no membership required.

About OSD ManTech

The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology (OSD ManTech) Program seeks to enhance the national security of the United States by furthering advanced manufacturing technologies and processes through joint, interagency, and public-private collaborations. Located within the Science and Technology Futures Program under the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, the OSD ManTech Program focuses heavily on satisfying the manufacturing technology needs for the DoD’s critical technology areas. These areas include Biotechnology, Quantum Science, Future Generation Wireless Technology (FutureG), Advanced Materials, Trusted AI and Autonomy, Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems, Microelectronics, Space Technology, Renewable Energy Generation and Storage, Advanced Computing and Software, Human-Machine Interfaces, Directed Energy, Hypersonics, and Integrated Sensing and Cyber.

About USD(R&E)

The Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (USD(R&E)) is the Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Defense. The USD(R&E) champions research, science, technology, engineering, and innovation to maintain the United States military’s technological advantage. Learn more at www.cto.mil, follow us on Twitter @DoDCTO, or visit us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/ousdre.

Posted in Disruptive Tech, Materials, Press Release | 2 Comments »

SPEE3D Introduces XSPEE3D: Fastest All-In-One Containerised Metal 3D Printer

Tuesday, October 4th, 2022

XSPEE3D is Highly Mobile, Easy to Use, and Prints Metal 3D Parts from Anywhere in Minutes

Land Forces, Brisbane, Australia – October 4, 2022 – SPEE3D, makers of the world’s fastest metal 3D printers, today unveiled its XSPEE3D printer – a containerised, ruggedized, and deployable cold-spray metal 3D printer that provides all of the necessary functions to print metal parts from anywhere in just minutes. XSPEE3D was designed based on extensive field work and collaboration with the Australian Army.

XSPEE3D is fully transportable as a standard shipping container with the printer and all auxiliary equipment in one box. The printer is easy to use and deploy, requiring only a connection to electrical power. Once the printer is live, anyone can begin fabricating parts immediately. XSPEE3D is 1,000 times faster than other additive manufacturing options and can print one or multiple parts simultaneously. The printer can be deployed to remote locations and helps maximise productivity, strengthen inventory, and bring rigour to the world’s weakening supply chain.

“One of the most significant issues the military faces today is the ability to resolve critical spare part requirements in the field, a challenge that worsens in the face of global supply chain issues,” said Byron Kennedy, CEO of SPEE3D. With the introduction of the XSPEE3D, we’re solving this issue with the ability to make reliable and affordable metal parts from anywhere, including in harsh, remote military field conditions. We understand the operational, economic, and supply chain issues Defence faces and look forward to continuing to work with them to help solve these challenges.“

The UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), an independent research and technology organisation that works with the military and the world’s top companies, is partnering with SPEE3D to be the first organisation to utilise the XSPEE3D printer.

“Our goal at the MTC is to bridge the gap between industry and academia to showcase the world’s foremost technologies to our wide-ranging clients, including those in Defence, and metal 3D printing is crucial for us to understand and teach them,” said Dr. Ken Young, Director of Technology at the MTC. “We chose the XSPEE3D for its unique capability to be deployed in harsh environments, which makes it ideal for military use or for creation of spare parts in remote locations. This opens up a new area of application for additive manufacturing that until now has been unachievable.”

Unlike other printers, XSPEE3D can print quality 3D metal parts from over 12 metal alloys, including copper, stainless steel, titanium, high-strength aluminium, and nickel-based carbides, and can withstand extreme heat and rough terrain in the field. Uniquely, SPEE3D harnesses the power of kinetic energy rather than relying on high-power lasers and expensive gasses, allowing printing at affordable production costs.

SPEE3D is no stranger to partnering with the military.The company recently announced that its WarpSPEE3D printer was the first in the world to successfully print parts from a naval ship as part of the NCMS (National Center for Manufacturing Sciences) REPTX exercise. SPEE3D has been involved in field testing of their deployable technology with the Australian Army and Australian Navy since 2019.

spee3d.com

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Low-Cost Tech Shaping Modern Battlefield, SOCOM Commander Says?

Thursday, July 28th, 2022

ASPEN, Colo. — In his 38 years as a soldier, across theaters ranging from the Middle East to Europe, the commander of Special Operations Command says he never had to look up. But those days are ending.

“I never had to look up because the U.S. always maintained air superiority,” Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke said during a discussion Friday at the Aspen Security Forum in Aspen, Colorado. “We won’t always have that luxury,” he added.

Low-cost quadcopters and larger unmanned aerial vehicles are disrupting the status quo as militaries and insurgents increasingly rely on them, the general said.

“When Russia is running out of them for Ukraine, and they’re going to Iran to go buy more, [that] should cause us all a bit of concern because you can see how valuable that they can be in the future fight,” he said.

U.S. and partner forces have largely focused on ways to defeat enemy drones after takeoff, but Clarke said there is also a need for interagency discussions on ways to disrupt supply chains to prevent them from taking off.

But first, there must be a discussion on norms and authorities for their use, he said. With a “very low” cost of entry for some of the small unmanned systems, the general said some countries may want to use drones to move patients or supplies. Medical transport vehicles are protected under the Geneva Conventions.

Chemical, Biological Weapons

Clarke said the Defense Department has charged Socom with looking at another threat that is inexpensive to produce and use — chemical and biological weapons.

ISIS used chlorine and mustard gases in Iraq and Syria, he said. Russia has used chemical weapons against its political allies — on its own soil and elsewhere, Clarke added.

“The fact that someone in the basement in Mosul [Iraq] with a few lab sets can do this,” proved that it’s a simple process to create these weapons, the general said. Chemical and biological weapons are a terrorist weapon system, he said, and ISIS and al-Qaida will continue to use them because they instill fear.

“As we go into the future, we have to be prepared for that eventuality … and look for methods to continue to combat it,” Clarke said.

Cyber Threats

Though U.S. officials have said government and other critical systems are receiving daily cyberattacks, the general said he’s equally concerned with the way adversaries are using cyber to exploit the information space.

Malign actors are spreading misinformation and disinformation online, and these have had an impact on elections, he said.

Misinformation is false or misleading information — a mistaken breaking news announcement, for example. Disinformation is meant to intentionally deceive the recipient.

Clarke said cyber gives adversaries a quick route to spread false information that can damage the U.S. cause.

“The message, if you look at the internet and what is happening from the African countries, its U.S. sanctions against Russia are causing food shortages in Africa,” the general said. “So we’re being blamed for people in Africa not getting to eat. … We have to look at what is on the internet and get the truth out about what is happening. And I think we have to be able to do that as a government a little bit faster than what we’re doing today.”

By Claudette Roulo, DOD News

Posted in Army, CBRNE, CEMA, Disruptive Tech, Guest Post, Information Warfare, SOF | Comments Off on Low-Cost Tech Shaping Modern Battlefield, SOCOM Commander Says?

North Shore Sports Club Coil Accelerator

Monday, July 11th, 2022

The future is here with the Coil Accelerator from North Shore Sports Club which like a rail gun uses an electrically produced magnetic charge to propel a metal disc toward the target rather than using traditional chemical propellants.

The disc is 275 grain and the magazine will hold 50. Projectile velocity is selectable at 80, 115, or 145 fps with an energy of between 3 and 16 joules. This gives you a maximum range of 40 feet but North Shore Sports Club says you’ll get between 20 and 30 feet of effective range. Since this is battery powered, you’ll get about 500 shots per charge and it takes about an hour to recharge the battery.

Interestingly, the coil accelerator offers semi-automatic fire as well as 5-disc burst and full-auto. Pretty impressive from something coming out of Illinois. Way to think outside the box. Plus, there’s no recoil or smoke or flash signature.

These have been around awhile but since there’s a big push to go electric, it’s worth a look if you’re interested in tinkering.

www.northshoresportsclub.com/coil-accelerator

Posted in Disruptive Tech | 9 Comments »

Air Force, Space Force Announce Next Hackathon at 3 Locations and Classifications, Enabling Government, Industry, Citizens to Build Emergent Weapons System Capabilities

Saturday, June 4th, 2022

WASHINGTON (AFNS) —

Applications are now open for the next BRAVO Hackathon, BRAVO 1 Canary Release, which will kick-off July 18-22 simultaneously at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Patrick Space Force Base, Florida; and Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.

A hackathon is an innovation and software development event commonly employed by technology companies in which teams self-form and urgently develop working prototypes that are later presented to senior leaders. Canary Release takes its name from a data-driven software release technique, leveraged frequently by technology companies where new software is introduced to a sample of users in production for telemetry collection and validation before distributing the software to the remaining population.

BRAVO hackathons gather engineers, data scientists, data visualization and user experience experts, and product and use case owners from industry, academia, government and citizenry to build operationally focused emergent capabilities with mentorship from senior Department of Defense leaders. At BRAVO 0, the first hackathon’s 11 teams focused on challenges such as: jet sensor visualization and playback, target planning and pairing, multi-jet sensor fusion analysis, artificial intelligence-assisted radar sensor failure mitigation, maintenance visualization and automation/artificial intelligence-assisted personnel recovery.

Four months after BRAVO 0, one project’s work has been operationalized to the European theatre, while half have been selected by Air Force organizations for additional development, testing and fielding. BRAVO 0 projects produced capabilities related to Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall’s operational imperatives in areas such as Air Force Joint All-Domain Command and Control, next generation system of systems, post-flight data analysis and readiness.

“A senior DoD official recently referred to the capability to deploy updates to SpaceX Starlink in response to data indicating jamming as ‘eye-watering.’ This shouldn’t be the case. Every big tech company and some nation states have already built automated pipelines that collect, aggregate and fuse data to enable such capabilities,” said Stuart Wagner Department of the Air Force chief digital transformation officer.

“DoD talks a lot about connecting weapons systems but has been too slow to implement groundbreaking, data-driven capabilities. BRAVO hackathons leverage existing Department of Defense technologies to provide hackers the development environment and operational data to rapidly build data-driven kill chains and cognitive electronic warfare capabilities. If you are a cleared or uncleared American citizen with technology skills looking to build national security capabilities during a one-week event, this is your opportunity.”

Unlike other DoD technical environments, BRAVO hackathons allow hackers to bring open-source software and data into the development environment in minutes providing unprecedented software and data collaboration on operational data.

The goals for Canary Release are to: validate rapid development in a cloud-based environment across multiple bases, military departments and classifications on operational use cases; provide a new way for American companies, citizens and government employees to develop DoD capabilities; and generalize the BRAVO development model to enable future scaling to partner military departments, combatant commands, U.S. government agencies, and U.S. partners and allies.

“The first BRAVO hackathon set a record for maximum concurrent users on our AI development environment. We agree that we must increase our digital and AI investments to operational use cases, including those identified and built at BRAVO hackathons. We are evaluating opportunities to scale this innovation model to the DoD and federal government enterprise,” said Greg Little, deputy director of Enterprise Capability at the Chief Digital and AI Office, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

For Canary Release, use cases have been sourced from Air Combat Command, Space Launch Delta 45 and Space Force Chief Technology Information Office. All participants must be American citizens. Participation at the Patrick SFB does not require a security clearance while participation at the remaining bases requires a secret clearance. Companies with employees holding active Special Access Program read-ins are encouraged to apply.

BRAVO Hackathon intends for 60% of hackers to be government employees or DoD contractors with approval of their government contracting officer with the remainder coming from industry, academia and American citizenry.

Canary Release is hosted by various organizations within Air Combat Command, Space Launch Delta 45, Space Force Chief Technology and Innovation Office, DAF’s Chief Information Office, 350th Spectrum Warfare Wing, Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office, CyberWorx, AFWERX, Congressional offices from the Command, Control, Communications, Intelligence and Networks Program Executive Office, Office of the Deputy Chief Management Officer, BESPIN software factory and Morpheus among many others.

About BRAVO hackathon series

The BRAVO hackathon series is named from Project B, a 1921 series of joint Army-Navy target exercises conducted on surplus ships in response to Army Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell’s claim that bombers sink battleships. This claim undermined the then-current investments and strategy of the then Department of War. The Secretary of War and Secretary of the Navy authorized Project B to disprove and disgrace Mitchell by demonstrating the insignificance of airpower. Mitchell instead directed his bombers to destroy all the test ships, changing military strategy, defense resourcing for aeronautics and aircraft carriers, and ultimately the Department of War by proving the need for a separate Air Force military department.

Styled off Project B, BRAVO hackathons are sponsored by senior DoD leaders to provide technical and cultural innovation environments that enable government, academia, industry and citizenry to test and validate bold ideas on real DoD data.

Application

Department of Defense employees and DoD contractors may apply as either support staff or hackers via Common Access Card login here.

Federal employees outside of the DoD or contractors without a Common Access Card may apply here.

Industry, academia and citizens interested in being considered to participate via Air Force CyberWorx’s Partnership Intermediary, CCTI, can apply here. Selected participants will receive additional details.

Project demonstrations are offered to DoD and federal employees through a science fair. Applications are available here.

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Posted in Air Force, Disruptive Tech, Guest Post | Comments Off on Air Force, Space Force Announce Next Hackathon at 3 Locations and Classifications, Enabling Government, Industry, Citizens to Build Emergent Weapons System Capabilities

DEVCOM, Army Special Forces Collaborate with International Partner to Test Additive Manufacturing Technology

Monday, May 30th, 2022

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. — On a battlefield in the future, Soldiers deployed to remote areas around the world will use sophisticated additive manufacturing printers to ‘print’ virtually everything they need, from food to shelter to weapons. The Army has made additive manufacturing a priority and Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, is supporting the effort with Project Prime, a collaboration with U.S. Army Special Forces and an international industry partner.

The Project Prime team consists of the U.S. Army 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), or 7th SFG (A); DEVCOM’s International Technology Center — United Kingdom, or ITC-UK; DEVCOM’s Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, or C5ISR; and Defend3D, a company based in the United Kingdom that enables secure transmission of remote 3D printing.

Special Forces Soldiers tested the technology by repeatedly adding and printing additive manufacturing files using Defend3D’s Virtual Inventory Communication Interface, or VICI. VICI provides a server application that manages the virtual inventory, assigns rights to remote manufacturers and provides the product in a ‘one-click-print’ format with minimal training for the end-user to securely stream.

“Despite a network connection categorized commercially as having low to no connection, VICI facilitated speedy, secure and accurate printing. Based on expectations set at the beginning of the project, VICI did everything we needed it to do, and 7th SFG (A) was satisfied with the system performance and endorsed the capability for further development and implementation,” said Dr. Patrick Fowler, DEVCOM Global Technology advisor at ITC-UK.

Each DEVCOM ITC has a Global Technology advisor who scouts technology in their area of operation. Project Prime began when a DEVCOM global technology advisor was scouting additive manufacturing technology in the Atlantic region, which includes London, United Kingdom; Paris, France; Frankfurt, Germany; and Tel Aviv, Israel. The ITCs, which are part of DEVCOM’s global enterprise, serve as the forward-deployed ‘eyes and ears’ of the Army Science and Technology Enterprise. Other DEVCOM ITCs include: North America; South America; Northern Europe; Southern Europe; Northeast Asia; Southeast Asia and the Southern Hemisphere.

VICI ensures end-to-end encryption by enabling organizations to store their designs locally and use the virtual inventory to manufacture parts in remote locations. For example, a deployed Soldier communicates a need, such as a spare part or a modification to an existing part, to the computer-aided design, or CAD, element at 7th SFG (A). The CAD element either designs the part from scratch or selects from a database of commonly used parts. This is then streamed to the Soldier in the field, who prints the part. Because the file is never sent, VICI prevents adversaries from accessing the information and identifying vulnerabilities in equipment and capabilities.

“We made it a priority to pursue avenues that will allow us to operate in environments that are not conducive to regular resupply efforts. For detachments to stay in the fight in these environments, we explored systems that operate outside the conventional supply chains. Project Prime’s deployable 3D printer and VICI software enables secure transmission and an easy-to-use interface,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jesse Peters, Innovation Cell, 7th SFG (A).

Other benefits of the technology include:

The 3D printer operator does not need to be an expert in 3D printing to print the required files.

The interface prevents overloading the network since forward-deployed Soldiers only see objects they have requested for their mission.

It securely stores files in a sharable repository, including files created by the Department of Defense and coalition networks.

“Imagine this scenario — a clever Green Beret on a remote base develops a novel attachment for an existing Unmanned Aircraft System, which is stored in VICI. Then, a clever Airman across the world at a remote airfield sees it and adds his/her twist. Next, a British Soldier prints it and starts using it in his/her own operations,” Fowler said.

During the training event, feedback was gathered in real-time as the deployed Soldiers communicated with the 7th SFG (A) Innovation Cell. Other information was collected after the training, including the pros and cons of the system, software interface, training requirements and long-term durability.

7th SFG (A) plans to train more of their Soldiers on the technology to support a U.S. Army Southern Command deployment. Once the deployment is completed, ITC-UK will document all of the activities and achievements of Project Prime and make it available to the broader Department of Defense community. The information will benefit other DEVCOM centers and research laboratory, particularly the C5ISR Center, which focuses on securing communications to the tactical edge. The technology may also fill gaps with other Army units.

“We’re looking for funding to further develop VICI to make it operable on a cell phone or a small device, including a Raspberry Pi, which is a very small computer that plugs into a computer monitor, TV, or similar small end-user devices. This will make the solution, which is currently used on a laptop, even more deployable,” Fowler said.

By Argie Sarantinos, DEVCOM HQ Public Affairs

Posted in Army, Design, Disruptive Tech, Guest Post, SOF | 1 Comment »